What Is the Best Breakfast for Youngsters?

We’ve all heard that breakfast is important, but does it really make a difference for young people? What about exercise?

Italian researchers studied these questions by assigning some groups of high-school students to get a healthful school breakfast and sports sessions before regular classes (Nutrients, June 27, 2026). Other groups followed the usual school day schedules.

The structured breakfast followed a Mediterranean diet plan, avoiding ultra-processed foods. For example, one breakfast included yogurt, whole grain bread with honey, fresh fruit and water. Another consisted of Greek yogurt, whole-grain cereal, dried fruit, an apple or banana and water. The third meal was toasted whole-grain bread, ricotta or low-fat fresh cheese, seasonal fruit and water. Presumably these food choices are familiar to the Italian adolescents.

Did Breakfast Make a Difference?

After four months, the investigators determined that the experimental group had better attention and working memory, cardiorespiratory fitness and academic achievement.

The investigators conclude:

“Although the effects on academic achievement were moderate, the observed trend is consistent with the hypothesis that more favorable physiological and cognitive conditions may be associated with improvements in the quality of school experience and educational performance.”

That is a good finding for Italian high-schoolers. What about American school kids? Many youngsters are used to cold cereal, bagels or toaster pastry for breakfast. But are those the best things they could eat in the morning?

Eggs for the Best Breakfast

Children who eat eggs for breakfast consume fewer calories at lunchtime. That is the conclusion of a ten-year-old study that measured the impact of different breakfasts on eating behavior in kids (Eating Behaviors, Jan., 2016).

Forty children between 8 and 10 years of age were given three different breakfasts, each containing exactly 350 calories. One meal was made up primarily of cold cereal, another contained oatmeal and the third was a high-protein egg-based breakfast.

How Much Did They Eat Later?

The children in the study could eat as much lunch or other food during the day as they desired. On days that the children had scrambled eggs, they consumed 70 fewer calories at lunch on average than when they had cereal or oatmeal. This is the equivalent of one less chocolate-chip cookie.

Even such a modest reduction in calories could have an impact on weight over time. The researchers did not consider alertness or brain function, but for adults high-protein choices may be the best breakfast for clear thinking all morning.